Minister for Regional Development - The Hon Dr John McVeigh MP

John McVeigh was sworn in as the Minister for Regional Development, Territories and Local Government on 20 December 2017. He was declared as the Federal Member for Groom on 22 July 2016.

Before his elevation to Cabinet, John was a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade; the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit; and the Standing Committees on Industry, Innovation Science and Resources and Agriculture and Water Resources. John also chaired the Coalition's Policy Committee for Industry, Innovation, Science and Northern Australia and was the chair of the Federal Government's Select Committee on Regional Development and Decentralisation.

Dr McVeigh noted in a recent Media Release, “As the representative of my own community of Toowoomba in Queensland, I am passionate about supporting and representing Australians in regional communities.

“Having been an elected representative for my region over recent years, at the local council, state government and federal government levels, I am familiar with the breadth and depth of services that make a difference locally. I am proud to have advocated for my community and contributed to a strong and enterprising regional centre.”

John was the Member for Toowoomba South in the Queensland Parliament (2012–2016) during which time he served as the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and as a member of the four-minister Cabinet Budget Review Committee. He was also the Shadow Minister for Science, Information Technology and Innovation.

John has a Bachelor of Business (Marketing & Economics) (University of Southern Queensland), Master of Business Administration (Bond University) and a PhD in Agribusiness Management (University of Queensland).

His commercial career prior to politics included administrative, marketing and management positions with the Bank of Queensland, Elders Pastoral, Cargill Australia, Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries Research And Development Corporation and the International Food Institute of QLD. In 1996, John established a consulting practice based in Toowoomba , managing projects that included aquaculture, beef, cotton, dairy, grains, horticulture, timber, wool and food processing throughout Australia, New Zealand, America, Brazil, China, Europe and South Africa.

Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities

The Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities administers the RDA Program. The Department provides policy advice to the Minister and delivers a variety of programs on behalf of the Australian Government e.g. a $272 million Regional Growth Fund (now open for applications).

The Department is responsible for the design and implementation of the Australian Government's infrastructure, transport and regional development policies and programs, working to: